Talk Like a Pirate Day celebrates the history and speech from the Golden Age of Pirates. It's a silly, but fun thing to celebrate.
When is Talk Like a Pirate Day celebrated?
September 19th
Who celebrates this day?
Anyone who like pirates or who feels like celebrating a fun day can celebrate this day.
What do people do to celebrate?
Well, they talk like a pirate of course!
How to Talk Like a Pirate
First off, you need to growl a lot and sort of yell your words with a scowl on your face. Say "Arrrrr!" every now and then and gesture a lot.
Always say "me" not "my". For example, you would say "This is me ship", not "This is my ship".
Here are some words and phrases you can use to participate in this day:
Ahoy! - Hello
Aye! - Yes
Booty - Treasure
Colors - Flag
Matey - Shipmate or friend
Hearties - Friends
Lass - Woman or girl
Avast! - Stop
Blimey! - Something to say when frustrated
Savvy? - Do you understand?
Shiver me timbers! - Something to say when you are surprised
Yo-ho-ho - Something to say when happy
Ye - Use this instead of "you"
Aft - The back of the ship
Bilge - Bottom of the ship
Fore - Front of the ship
Port - Left side of the ship
Starboard - Right side of the ship
Buccaneer - Another name for pirate
Lad - Young man
Scallywag - Someone you don't trust
Shanty - Song
Cutlass - Pirate's sword
Doubloons - Gold coins or money
Jolly Roger - The flag of a pirate ship
Hornswaggle - Cheat someone
Marooned - To get stuck on a desert island
Walk the plank - To be forced to walk off a plank of the ship into the ocean
Weigh Anchor - Get the ship ready to sail
History of Talk Like a Pirate Day
The holiday was originally created by John Baur and Mark Summers. The idea came to them when one of them got hurt during a racquetball game and yelled out "Arrrr!". They decided it would be funny to make a whole day where people talked like pirates. They chose September 19th because it was Mark's ex-wife's birthday and he figured it would be easy for him to remember.
At first it was just something they did for fun. They figured it would never take off. Then columnist Dave Berry wrote an article about it and the day became famous. Now a lot of people celebrate the day because it's fun and silly.
Fun Facts About Talk Like a Pirate Day
John Baur uses the pirate name Ol' Chumbucket and Mark Summers is called Cap'n Slappy.
Real pirates were actually bad people who did bad things. The founders of the day want people to know they are not honoring real pirates with this day, but just having some fun.
The inventors of the holiday have a book you can buy as well as other fun pirate stuff on their website.
The name of the holiday is sometimes abbreviated to TLAPD.
Famous Fictional Pirates
Captain Hook - Peter Pan
Long John Silver - Treasure Island
Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean
Dread Pirate Roberts - The Princess Bride
Captain Hector Barbossa - Pirates of the Caribbean
